Coffee cups should not be put in your household recycling bin*. The best way to reduce disposable coffee cup waste is to use a reusable cup or crockery.
They are required to organise their own waste management and depending on who their contractor is, takeaway cups may not be recycled.
The plastic lining of paper-based cups, shown here, is not easily recyclable or biodegradable. Paper-based cups are usually lined with a membrane of polyethylene (plastic) to make them waterproof, but it means they are not recyclable alongside paper or cardboard, or biodegradable.
Standard disposable coffee cups cannot be recycled through the standard paper recycling process because they have a plastic liner. Even 'compostable' cups are rarely composted, because Australia's existing composting facilities can't yet process them effectively.
Coffee cups — Remove the lids, wash and recycle. The cup cannot be recycled due to its waterproof plastic lining so throw this part away in the red bin.
The lids are difficult to recycle too. Many cities can not process dark or black plastic because the colour blends in with the machines themselves and therefore is not recognized. The lids are also very light and small making them difficult for the machines to sort properly.
Recycle empty paper cups in your blue cart or community recycling depot, including: Coffee cups and sleeves (example: Tim Hortons, McDonalds) Fast food drink cups.
Drop-off your empty hair, beauty and home cleaning packaging or used coffee capsules to be recycled at Woolworths Crows Nest!
On most plastic bottles, containers and other packaging products you will find the universal recycling symbol of the chasing arrows triangle. Within the symbol, there is a number ranging from 1-7. Although manufacturers use the recycle symbol on their products, not all plastics are recyclable.
Books, comics, magazines, newspapers, pamphlets can be placed in your recycling bin. Please ensure book spines and plastic covers are removed. Excess recycling can be dropped off free at a Recycling Drop Off Centre.
Getting Rid of the Mugs
Thrift stores that sell housewares will usually accept donations of unwanted mugs, but it doesn't hurt to ask any local thrift store. Then your old mugs can be enjoyed by someone else until they're broken or ready to be recycled again. Ask your recycling program if they accept ceramic.
These cups are generally manufactured with polystyrene plastic, recyclable PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic or recyclable PP (polypropylene).
Plastic cups with a #5 on them can be placed in curbside recycling. Most paper to-go cups cannot be recycled or composted because they contain a plastic or wax coating to prevent leaks.
Most recycling facilities don't accept cups or clamshell containers because they flatten easily when crushed and machines can't correctly sort them out (they often end up with paper). They also melt at a different temperature than other plastics which creates an ash that can ruin an entire batch of good plastic.
Egg cartons made of cardboard can be recycled just like other types of cardboard. Foam cartons, however, are not part of your curbside program. The technology for creating new products from foam cartons/polystyrene is available, but the market for recycling is very small and specialized.
Pop the capsule and the foil in your household recycling
Aluminium. You won't find a speck of plastic in sight. That means they are fully recyclable and can go in your usual household recycling (yes, even the top lid). You may wish to brush out any residue coffee grounds beforehand.
No. Whatever you do, don't put soft plastics in your regular recycling bin along with other items like glass bottles, cardboard and aluminium cans. Soft plastics are a bit of a nightmare for the machinery used by councils to sort recycling, often becoming tangled and damaging it.
In addition to Keurig K-Cups, Nespresso coffee pods (or capsules, as the company calls them) are recyclable. These are made of aluminum rather than plastic. Pods for the lesser-known Nescafé Dolce Gusto and Tassimo T-Disc pod coffee makers can also be recycled.
Paper absorbs liquid and most times will not be accepted to recycle. While paper straws are not completely non-recyclable, they are not ideal for recycling.
are made of paper but are coated with something called polycoat which is the plastic waterproof layer that prevents the cup or carton from leaking. Unlike milk cartons and ice cream containers which are coated on the inside and outside with polycoat, coffee cups are coated only on the inside with polycoat.
Yes, caps are technically recyclable and the best practice is to replace the cap on the Tube before placing it in the recycling bin. Doing so will help avoid litter of caps. Caps are made of a different plastic than the tube and thus some recyclers might prefer the caps to be removed before tubes are recycled.
The short answer is – paper cups are not recyclable or compostable because they are not made of just paper. Paper cups are designed to hold hot or cold liquids without absorbing the liquids, leaking, or falling apart. So the vast majority of paper cups are coated in plastic or wax (i.e., waterproofing).
Drinking glasses, flower vases, mirrors etc. have a different melting point and chemical composition than bottles and jars. If these materials are mixed with glass from bottles and jars it can contaminate glass recycling or weaken recycled glass which hurts recycling programs.